Muscat of Alexandria is another Muscat variety commonly used in the production of French vin doux naturel, but it is also found in Spain, where it is used to make many of the fortified Spanish Moscatels. Elsewhere it is used to make off-dry to sweet white wines, often labeled as Moscato in Australia, California and South Africa. In Alsace and parts of Central Europe, Muscat Ottonel is used to produce usually dry and highly perfumed wines.[2]

While there are theories that the origin of the Muscat family date back to ancient antiquity, there is no solid historical evidence that Muscat grapevines were among the grape varieties cultivated by civilizations such as the ancient Egyptians (papyrus image from the 15th century BC tomb of Nakht).

Theories about the origins of Muscat grapes date ancestors of the varieties back to the ancient Egyptians and Persians of early antiquity (c. 3000-1000 BCE) while some ampelographers, such as Pierre Galet, believe that the family of Muscat varieties were propagated during the period of classical antiquity (c. 800 BCE to 600 CE) by the Greeks and Romans. However, while domestic wine production had a long history in ancient Egypt and Persia and classical writers such as Columella and Pliny the Elder did describe very "muscat-like" grape varieties such as Anathelicon Moschaton and Apianae that were very sweet and attractive to bees (Latinapis), there is no solid historical evidence that these early wine grapes were members of the Muscat family.[3]

The first documented mention of grape called "muscat" was in the works of the English Franciscan scholar Bartholomeus Anglicus who wrote of wine made from Muscat grapes in his work De proprietatibus rerum written between 1230-1240 while Anglicus was studying in what is now modern Saxony in Germany. Anglicus' Latin work was translated into French in 1372 with the wine being described by Anglicus as "vin extrait de raisins muscats".[3]

The "musky" aroma of ripe Muscat grapes have been known to attract bees (pictured), flies and other insects.

Because the exact origins of the Muscat family cannot be pinpointed, the theories as to the origins of the name "Muscat" are numerous. The most commonly cited belief is the name is derived from the Persian word muchk. Similar etymology follows the Greekmoskos, Latin muscus and French musc.[3] In Italy, the Italian word mosca for fly could also be one possibility with the sweet aroma and high sugar levels of Muscat grapes being a common attractant for insects such as fruit flies.[4]

Other theories suggest that the grape family originated in the Arabian country of Oman and was named after the city of Muscat located on the coast of the Gulf of Oman. Another city that is sometimes suggested as a potential birthplace/namesake is the Greek city of Moschato, located southwest of Athens in Attica with Moschato being a common synonym in Greece for Muscat varieties.[3]

Muscat d'Eisenstadt (also known as Muscat de Saumur), one of the parent varieties of Muscat Ottonel.

Of the more than 200 grape varieties sharing "Muscat" (or one of its synonyms) in their name, the majority are not closely related to each other. The exception are the members of the Muscat blanc à Petits Grains and Muscat of Alexandria families. In the early 21st century, DNA analysis showed that Muscat of Alexandria was, itself, a natural crossing of Muscat blanc à Petits Grains and a black-skinned table grape variety from Greek islands known as Axina de Tres Bias. Rarely seen outside of Greece, Axina de Tres Bias (also known as Heftakilo) is also grown in Malta and Sardinia.[3]

Muscat blanc à Petits Grains and Muscat of Alexandria, themselves, have crossed and have produced at least 14 different grape varieties, 5 of which are mostly cultivated in South America and 9 still found in Italy though none are of major use in wine production. More notable and widely planted offspring have come from Muscat blanc à Petits Grains and Muscat of Alexandria crossing with other grape varieties such as the Argentine wine grapes of Cereza, Torrontés Riojano and Torrontés Sanjuanino coming from a cross of Muscat of Alexandria with Listán negro (also known as the Mission grape).[3]

The characteristic floral, "grapey" aroma of Muscat can be seen in wines like Moscato d'Asti which made in a winemaking style that emphasizes the varietal aromas of the grape rather than aromas derived from winemaking processes like oak aging or autolysis on the lees.

However, this common "musky" (French: musqué) trait has caused some confusion as varieties that are wholly unrelated to the Muscat family are often erroneously associated with Muscat grapes (often by naming and synonyms) due to their aromatic character. These include the German wine grape Morio Muskat which, despite its name, is not related to the Muscat family and is, instead, a crossing of Silvaner x Pinot blanc. Likewise, the highly aromatic clonal mutation of several wine grape varieties such as Sauvignon blanc, Chasselas and Chardonnay are often suffixed with Musqué which can add confusion to their relationship with the Muscat family.[4] Additionally, the Bordeaux wine grape Muscadelle that is used for both sweet and dry wines is often mistaken for a Muscat variety due to its aromatic qualities.[3] While made from a more aromatically neutral grape, Melon de Bourgogne grape, the Loire wineMuscadet is sometimes mistakenly believed to be made by a member of the Muscat family.[5]

In France, Muscat blanc à Petits Grains is often used to produce fortified Vin doux Naturel dessert wines such as the Muscat de Saint-Jean de Minervois (left) and Muscat de Beaume de Venise (right) shown.

Muscat blanc à Petits Grains is known by many names around the globe including Muscat blanc (in France and United States), Muscat Canelli (in US), Moscato bianco (in Italy), Muscat Frontignan (in South Africa), Moschato (in Greece), Brown Muscat (in Australia), Muskateller (in Germany and Austria), Muscat de Grano Menudo (in Spain), Muscat de Frontignan and Muscat Lunel (in France). While the petits grains in the grape's name accurately describes the small, round berries of the vine, some wine experts, such as Oz Clarke, believe that the Muscat blanc part is misleading since the grapevine is notorious for its frequent color mutations siring clusters of berries in nearly every shade possible though most commonly the grape berries are a deep yellow after veraison. In some vineyards, vines of Muscat blanc à Petits Grains are known to produce clusters of berries of different colors that change every vintage.[5]

Nearly all the most notable sweet Muscats of Greece, particularly those from the island of Samos and the city of Patras on the Peloponnese are made from Muscat blanc à Petits Grains. In the history of South African wine, the famous dessert wine of Constantia was made from this variety of Muscat and while today Muscat of Alexandria is more widely planted in South Africa, producers around Constantia, Cape Town are trying to reclaim some of the regions of viticultural acclaim by replanting more Muscat blanc à Petits Grains and making wines in the style of the original Constantia.[3]

The berries of Muscat of Alexandria clusters are larger and more oval shape than those of Muscat blanc à Petits Grains.

While the grape's name harkens to the city of Alexandria and suggest an ancient Egyptian origins, DNA analysis has shown that Muscat of Alexandria is the result of a natural crossing between Muscat blanc à Petits Grains and the Greek wine grape Axina de Tres Bias. Though as Axina de Tres Bias has also been historically grown on Sardinia and Malta, the exact location and origins of Muscat of Alexandria can't be determined. Compared to Muscat blanc à Petits Grains, Muscat of Alexandria tends to produce large, moderately loose clusters of large oval shape berries that are distinctive from the much smaller, round berries of Muscat blanc à Petits Grains.[5]

Like most Muscat varieties, Muscat of Alexandria is notable for being a desirable raisin and table grape. This is due in part the grapes high tolerance of heat and drought conditions. While it is used in wine production (most notably on the island of Pantelleria between Sicily and Tunisia where it makes a passito style dessert wine under the name of Zibibbo), the grape lags far behind the reputation of Muscat blanc à Petits Grains. This is partly because Muscat of Alexandria is very vigorous and prone to produce high yields that can be easily over-cropped as well as a more assertive aroma profile due a higher concentration of the monoterpenegeraniol, which produces a geranium scent, and lower concentration of nerol which a more fresh, sweet rose aroma.[5]

In France, Muscat of Alexandria is most prominent as a blending component (with Muscat blanc à Petits Grains) in the VdN wines of Muscat de Rivesaltes AOC in the Roussillon wine region. The grape is the main Muscat variety in Spain, where it is known as Moscatel, though the majority of that country's plantings are used for table grapes and raisins rather than wine production. Likewise, in Chile, most of the Moscatel in that country is used to produce the distilled drinkpisco.[5]

In South Africa, Muscat of Alexandria is known as Hanepoot and was the 4th most widely planted white wine grape variety in the country until the early 2000s. While some of the plantings were used for wine production, particularly for fortified wine, many plantings were used to for the production of grape concentrate and raisins.[4] In California, there is still more plantings of Muscat of Alexandria than any other Muscat variety with most of these grapes going into anonymous jug wines from the Central Valley.[5] As in many other places in the world, the grape had a long history of use in the United States as a raisin variety though in the 1920s plantings of Muscat of Alexandria began to decline as producers turned to more popular seedless grape varieties.[3]

Even though the vast majority of the members of the Muscat family are dark skinned grapes,[4] most of the major varieties used in wine production are white or "pale skinned". The one significant exception of Muscat of Hamburg which is also known as Black Muscat. This dark-skinned grape is believed to have originated in the Victoriangreenhouses of England where it was first described in 1858 as being propagated by Seward Snow, gardener to the Earl de Grey. Snow described the grape as a seedling that he created from crossing the Black Hamburg grape (an old synonym of Schiava Grossa) with the White Muscat of Alexandria. In 2003, DNA analysis confirmed that Muscat of Hamburg was, indeed, a crossing of Muscat of Alexandria and Schiava Grossa which makes the grape a full sibling to the central Italian grape Malvasia del Lazio which has the same parentage.[3]

While Muscat of Hamburg is used mostly as a table grape throughout the world, there are two notable exceptions. The first is in California where nearly all of the 102 hectares (250 acres) of Black Muscat in cultivation in 2009 were destined for wine production, most often to make dessert wines.[3] The other exception is in China were Muscat of Hamburg is often crossed with Vitis amurensis species that are native to the region to produce wine grapes that are better adapted to the climate of various Chinese wine regions.[4]

A bowl of table grapes that includes a mixture of Muscat Ottonel and Chasselas Rouge de Foncé.

Like Muscat of Hamburg, Muscat Ottonel is a relatively recent addition to the Muscat family, being bred in the Loire Valley wine region of France in the 1850s. The grape is a cross of the Swiss wine grape Chasselas and Muscat d'Eisenstadt (also known as Muscat de Saumur). Of all the major Muscat varieties, Muscat Ottonel has the palest color-skin and tends to produce the most neutral wines and is the grape variety that ripens the earliest.[5]

While each individual Muscat variety has its own set of synonyms, the general prefix of "Muscat" has its own unique translation around the globe. In Greece, the grapes are usually called Moschato or Moschoudia while in Italy they are called Moscato or Moscatello. On the Iberian peninsula, Portuguese and Spanish Muscat grapes are often prefixed as Moscatel while in Germany the grapes are usually called Muskat or Muskateller. In Central Europe, the family of Muscat varieties are called Misket in Bulgaria, Muškat in Croatia and Muskatoly or Muskotály in Hungary. In the northern African wine regions of Tunisia the grapes are often called Meski.[3]